Kit & Kat
by valverdekenja
Summary: Two new additions to the Malfoy family change Draco's relationships back at Hogwarts 8th year fic, H/D Typical I know, but the plotline insisted. M rating comes in later.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N reformatting and reuploading, since I realised on looking back at it that the website reformatted my story without telling me...sorry about the mess that it was before...in case you didn't realise, this is my first story. Not actually an author, it just got in my head and wouldn't go away. Loads of people have favourited and followed already though, which is lovely I'm glad you all like it. First half is Draco's pov, second half is Harry's.**

Draco Malfoy was in a state of shock. After the war and his family's subsequent trial, Draco had spent a month travelling around America, to "learn about the American ministry and the wizarding community there". In reality? To avoid one Harry James Potter. Since his hormone induced experiment with Blaise Zambini in 5th year, Draco had admitted (to himself and Blaise, if no one else) that he preferred the male sex. However, since this discovery, Draco had found himself with an undeniable attraction to Potter, which became more and more difficult to hide as they grew older, and also developed into what Blaise like to call "a new and frightening level of obsession". Obviously he was exaggerating, but nonetheless, something had to be done. The trial meant spending a large amount of time with the object of his obsession – no, affection, definitely not an obsession – and with Potter being at his most adorably naive and forgiving, Draco felt it necessary to be as far away as possible from the young man until his hormones came back under his own control. Hence the extended holiday in America.

To return to the present, Draco Malfoy was in a state of shock. This was because on returning to England and Malfoy Manor, he found his mother had 2 "gifts" to welcome him home. The first was not a reason for shock. Narcissa had informed her son that she had enrolled him for the optional "8th year" at Hogwarts, to allow the students from the previous year to complete their NEWTs, which had been interrupted by the war. Since Draco had been intending to do this himself, it was not particularly a problem. The shock came with the second gift, something that was physically presented to the young man on his arrival in the Manor.

Sitting on his bed, Draco stared at the little bundles which were now roaming the room and making as much noise as they could. _Kittens._ He thought to himself. _Why in the name of Merlin would she give me kittens. _Inside the basket had been a letter from McGonagall, addressed to his mother, informing her that yes, it was perfectly alright for Draco to bring the kittens to school in September. Muted voices broke Draco from his reverie, and he realised that Pansy had arrived to welcome him home. He got up to leave and found his foot immediately pounced on by the darker of the two kittens – which proved more difficult to dislodge than it seemed it should. Finally getting rid of the thing, Draco found his other foot being pounced on by the other kitten. Sighing and shaking his head, Draco picked up the two bundles of mischief and put them back in the basket, taking it with him out the door.

_How does this happen? _Draco wondered. It was now almost midnight, and Pansy had long since left. Draco was still trying to fathom how his oldest friend had turned into a cooing, simpering fool at the sight of the menaces which were now attempting to climb his curtains. Since Draco had neglected to before she arrived, Pansy had taken it upon herself to name the little creatures, and before he could argue, the things seemed taken with her. Since he couldn't think of better names (and didn't want to deal with an upset and angry Pansy) Draco's new pets were now named "Kit" and "Kat". He groaned and fell backwards onto his bed, wondering how much worse this situation could get. Then he remembered that he was returning to school in a week's time, and it was more than likely Granger had bullied Potter and the Weasel into coming back too. _Wonderful. Really, really great. _Draco sighed, and lay back, waving his wand to draw the curtains and turn out the light – momentarily forgetting his tiny charges. That is, until they fell off the curtains as a result of his spell, and immediately started yowling at him. The kittens wouldn't quiet until he picked them up and allowed them to curl up and cuddle into him on the bed, which meant that an exhausted and frustrated Draco Malfoy woke up the next morning with a pile of fur on his head. _**Not**_ _a good way to start the morning_ he thought with a sigh.

Sitting on the camp bed that he'd been sleeping on for the last week, Harry Potter looked around his best friend's bedroom and wondered again why he was here. _Because you couldn't handle being alone in Grimauld Place all summer_, said a quiet voice in the back of his head. Harry sighed. It was true, he'd come to the Burrow a week ago because being alone in Sirius' old house had made him really rather maudlin and he hadn't been sleeping well. He had realised over the course of the summer that the Weasleys were his family now, and this new recognition (while causing Molly to burst into tears when Harry told her he thought of her as his mother) led to the conversation he'd had just yesterday with Ginny.

The two had found that they saw each other more as siblings than partners, and decided not to get back together. Ginny had also pushed Harry into admitting the (rather dangerous) obsession he'd had with Draco Malfoy for the last few years, and after a few hours of her guidance, Harry had been forced to admit that he was rather attracted to the blonde. This new discovery meant questioning his sexuality properly, which led Harry back to his current situation – sitting on the camp bed wondering how to explain to his two best friends that he might be gay. Deciding to just get it over with, Harry got up and headed down to Ginny's bedroom, where Ron and Hermione were currently situated.

When he entered the room, Harry was immediately greeted with raised eyebrows and a quiet "Finally going to tell us what's bothering you then?" from Ron. He slumped down against the door and looked carefully at the floor. After warring with himself for another few minutes, he broke the silence.  
"I talked to Ginny. We decided we're not getting back together, 'cause we feel more like family than anything else."Harry finally risked a glance up. His friends were just looking at him. "What?"  
Hermione sighed. "That's not everything Harry. If that was it, you'd just be relieved that it's sorted. What's bothering you?"  
Harry mumbled something intelligible while looking back at the floor. Ron groaned and threw a book at him. "Out with it you idiot. We aren't going to care you know. Unless you have some kind of contagious disease, in which case I'm kicking you out of my house 'cause I don't want it."  
Harry glared at him, then sighed. "I think I might be gay. I don't know. I've never really thought about it and I don't exactly know how I'd go about finding out..."  
He trailed off and looked up nervously. Ron gaped at him for a long moment, then snorted. "And you've only just discovered this possibility? You didn't consider it during your crazy Malfoy obsession?"  
Hermione glared at him. "Ronald, you are being very insensitive. Again."  
Harry just laughed. "That's what Ginny said. And no, I didn't. So, are you going to help me or not?"  
Ron laughed too. "No way. You're not experimenting with me you loony. Go find some poor muggle boy in the village." He winked, then left the room laughing to himself. Harry looked at Hermione, who just smiled.  
"The only way to know for sure is to try it, but I wouldn't advise just finding some random bloke to sleep with. You'll regret it that way. You should try to find a friend who is gay or bisexual, and experiment with them. Try Shay and Dean, though they might be together by now. Good luck."  
She left the room with a smile, leaving a very confused harry wondering how exactly he would broach the subject to Seamus without becoming the butt of an extended series of jokes.

A couple of days later, Hedwig's return confirmed that Seamus and Dean had admitted their feelings and were officially a couple. As they were now just a few days away from returning to Hogwarts, the trio decided that they should probably go shopping for their things. Well. Harry and Ron decided this, on learning that Hermione and Ginny had already been shopping and gotten everything organised.  
Upon their return, they found Quidditch to be their best time killer, and therefore spent the rest of the week playing, while Harry tried to puzzle out his feelings and discovered that the rest of the family had somehow become aware of his confusion. They were very accepting, though Harry did find himself the butt of an extended series of jokes anyway, courtesy of George. All too soon, the time to return to school arrived, and Harry discovered a new flock of butterflies in his stomach at the thought of seeing Malfoy again. He fumed quietly at himself for behaving like a 12 year old girl, but somehow managed to fall asleep before his nerves and his hormones got the best of him.


	2. Chapter 2

A week later, and Draco had managed to grow quite used to Kit and Kat, and had discovered that while Kat was the more inquisitive and mischievous of the two, Kit was much more friendly. Kat refused to be held or fed by anyone but Draco, even going so far as to hiss viciously at Hilfa – the house-elf gotten to replace Dobby a few years back – when she entered Draco's room to clean.

However, Draco was now facing a new problem with the kittens – getting them into the carrier. He was about ready to leave for the Hogwarts express, and it was now 10 am, meaning any more delays might make him late for the train. And a delay was exactly what he was getting. Kit had happily been placed in the carrier and promptly curled up and gone to sleep. Kat, however, was flat out refusing to go anywhere near the thing. Draco had tried to place him in it and nearly lost a finger for his trouble, so he was loathe to try that again. Unfortunately it was now 10.35, and he needed to leave soon or he'd be really late. Deciding it wasn't worth the fuss, Draco closed the carrier, put Kat in his jacket pocket and apparated to a quiet, hidden spot near King's Cross.

Upon seeing his new surroundings, Kat mewled in fear, and when Draco tried now to place him inside the carrier he went quickly and curled up with his brother, shaking and mewling. Pleased with the success, Draco moved quickly through the crowds in the station towards the barrier. Glancing up at the clock, he relaxed. 10.45. Plenty of time. Quickly sliding through the barrier, Draco hurried across the platform, pointedly ignoring the curious (and sometimes angry) looks of other students, and found an empty compartment. Placing his trunk inside, he climbed in and settled the cat carrier on the seat next to him, looking forward to some peace from the two inside.

Unfortunately, Kat had realised that the crowd of people was gone, and now he wanted out again. He yowled for a full 5 minutes before Draco gave in and opened the basket, letting the kitten out to explore his new surroundings. Kit followed slowly, but was scared back inside when the compartment door slid open. Draco was thankful for his seeker's reflexes as he grabbed Kat before the kitten got out of the door, settling the now hissing kitten as Theo Nott and Blaise Zambini sat themselves down opposite him. Draco's two classmates raised their eyebrows at the kitten on Draco's lap, but merely nodded and repressed smiles at his weary response of "mother's welcome home gift". He carefully introduced Kit and Kat, explaining the names which had both boys openly giggling, and then tried to get both kittens back inside the carrier, giving up when Kat nearly took his finger off – again. With the two fluffy monsters now roaming the carriage, Draco devoted his time to catching up with his friends, telling them about his trip to America, finding out what had happened in his absence, and if most of it happened to be about Potter, what of it? He was the saviour of the wizarding world, and the Golden Trio were obviously going to be the centre of everyone's universe right now. It was perfectly normal that news was all about him...er...them. Sly remarks from Blaise and Theo were pointedly ignored, and Draco settled back into his normal routine, finally feeling comfortable for the first time in 2 years.

The Weasley's arrived at King's Cross at 10.45 after a seriously hectic morning. Turned out, Harry and Ron hadn't been as organised as they thought, and Hermione and Molly had had to repack for them both after finding a large number of things they had forgotten. Running very late, the group flashed through the barrier and onto the train at breakneck pace, not stopping to breathe until all their things had been carefully loaded into a compartment. When they had finished all their goodbyes and settled onto the train, Ginny promptly abandoned the group to find her friends, while Harry, Ron and Hermione were soon joined by a large group to make up for her absence. Neville, Seamus and Dean had all opted to return to school and soon joined the trio in their compartment, while they were later joined by Terry Boot of Ravenclaw and Ernie MacMillan of Hufflepuff – both ex-DA members – as well as Ernie's girlfriend Emily – another Hufflepuff.

No-one was sure if any of the Slytherins had chosen to come back, and none joined them, though no one really expected them to even if they were on the train. The small group spent their journey catching up on their summers and everyone congratulated Seamus and Dean on their new relationship. The two spent the entire journey cuddled together, and seemed incredibly happy. Harry, for some reason, found himself feeling more than a little envious of the two, in a way that he hadn't been of Ron and Hermione, and even found himself noticing things about both the new couple and even Neville that he never had before, like the way that the soft burr of Shay's accent rolled across his skin, making him shiver slightly. He noticed Dean watching him with a slight frown, and raised an eyebrow. Dean merely mouthed 'Later' to him, and turned away. Confused, Harry tried to ignore the response and focused back into the conversation, losing himself to a spirited Quidditch themed debate with Ron and Neville which lasted until the train pulled in at Hogsmeade.


	3. Chapter 3

Upon arriving at Hogsmeade, Draco found his assumption had been correct – the Golden Trio had returned to Hogwarts. Along with them were Longbottom, Finnigan, and Thomas, as well as a couple of Hufflepuffs and a Ravenclaw that Draco recognised but couldn't name. They arrived in the Entrance Hall to find the group standing with McGonagall apart from the rest of the students, so Draco, Theo and Blaise quickly joined them. McGonagall gave them all a small smile.  
"Alright. Since the dorms are currently required for the 7th year students, and there are only 12 of you, the faculty has decided that you will not retain your house groups. You will instead all be together with one common room and set of dormitories. Hermione and Emily, you two will be sharing a room, as you are the only two girls, and the rest of you boys may choose amongst yourselves who shares with whom. You will be pairing off, as each room sleeps two. I will escort you to your new common room after dinner, but for now, you will eat at your own table, separate from the house tables. I hope you can overcome the old rivalries and work together now that you are adults. Please, follow me."

Upon entering the Great Hall (to complete silence and stares), the returning students saw a 6th table, relatively small, which was obviously the table set aside for their small group. After gesturing them towards it, McGonagall went to her place at the centre of the teacher's table. Draco noticed Potter flinch, and knowing the boy as well as he did, knew it was because he still saw this as Dumbledore's place. After the usual announcements (and an extra one to explain the presence of the small group at the back of the room) dinner was served as usual. At a familiar voice, Draco looked up to see that the Golden Trio had placed themselves directly across from him, Theo and Blaise. He somehow couldn't help listening in.

"I'm so glad I let you talk me into this 'Mione. It's so nice to be back here. I finally feel like I've come home, yano?"  
Potter smiled at the girl, who gave him a delighted smile in return, and opened her mouth only to be interrupted by Weasel; "I'm not. I thought we were done with this place, I was ready to get into Auror training! But nooooo, 'we can't just get jobs because of our fame, we have to deserve it!' Considering how many rules we've broken, you have no reason to still be so righteous and naive you know Harry."  
Though his words sounded harsh, Weasley was laughing, and Potter laughed with him. Only Granger didn't seem impressed. "Ron, you know he's right. You need your NEWTS, and you need the education. You don't know enough now to pass auror training. This was the best thing for all of us."  
Potter looked up at this point, directly at Draco.  
"What about you Malfoy? Why did you come back?"  
The whole table went quiet, watching the two rivals. Draco felt butterflies in his stomach with Potter's attention on him, and almost grinned at it, before he caught himself and covered it with the trademark Malfoy smirk. "Wouldn't you like to know Potter."

Blaise rolled his eyes and elbowed him, while Potter only raised an eyebrow.  
"I'll figure it out. I know you pretty well by now."  
He spoke with a small smile that had Draco's stomach fluttering more than it already was. Luckily, McGonagall dismissed the students before he had to come up with a response, and approached the table. She guided them to a large portrait of a short knight on a fat pony on the 5th floor, who immediately jumped up and challenged Theo to a duel. The Golden Trio groaned, while McGonagall merely stated the password 'Elyan' and led the group inside.

The small group of 9 followed their usual path to school, taking one of the carriage drawn by Thestrals up the long drive. They were met in the Entrance Hall by Professor McGonagall, who had them wait off to the side – for what they weren't sure. That is, until a few minutes later, they were joined by 3 more students – Malfoy, Zambini and Nott. When he spotted the shining white blonde head, Harry felt the butterflies again. His heart was racing and it took all his control not to jump Malfoy there and then. _Pretty sure that means I have a thing for Malfoy then_. He carefully avoided the other boy's gaze, tried to control his breathing and heart rate, then suddenly realised McGonagall had been talking and he should probably listen.

"...Work together now as adults. Please, follow me." She turned and walked into the Great Hall, as Harry realised he'd missed most of her speech and now had no idea what she'd said. _No change there then_, he thought, as he followed Hermione into the hall and saw a small, new table set for 12. The small group placed themselves at it, the rest looking quite uncomfortable. Harry realised the rest of the room was silent and watching them – something he was relatively used to – the obvious cause of the discomfort.

Deciding to face his problems head on, Harry deliberately placed himself directly opposite Malfoy, while Ron and Hermione sat beside him. He noticed McGonagall place herself in the Head's chair and couldn't prevent himself from flinching a little. _That's Dumbledore's chair. No-one should sit in it anymore. Not ever_. Harry quickly silenced the childish voice and settled himself into his seat, not really listening to McGonagall's welcome speech (which apparently explained their presence, he was informed later) focusing instead on the sharp lines of Malfoy's jaw. He realised as he studied the other boy that he had, subconsciously, memorised his features already, and knew every inch of his face almost as well as his own. Feeling rather disconcerted by this knowledge, Harry quickly looked away in time to see the food appearing. Helping himself, he turned away from the Slytherins to Hermione.

"I'm so glad I let you talk me into this 'Mione. It's so nice to be back here. I finally feel like I've come home, yano?" He smiled at her, but her response was interrupted by a teasing Ron.  
"I'm not. I thought we were done with this place, I was ready to get into Auror training! But nooooo, 'we can't just get jobs because of our fame, we have to deserve it!' Considering how many rules we've broken, you have no reason to still be so righteous and naive you know Harry."  
Ron laughed as he spoke, so Harry did to, the both of them ignoring Hermione's serious response with the ease of those used to such things. Harry looked up at Malfoy, and noticed him watching them, obviously listening. Ignoring the apparent party going on in his stomach, he spoke.  
"What about you Malfoy? Why did you come back?"  
The blonde looked slightly startled for a moment, obviously not expecting to be addressed, while the rest of the group went quiet, watching the two old rivals. Malfoy gave his typical smirk after a moment, looking back at Harry with a glint in his gray eyes that pushed the butterflies up further.  
"Wouldn't you like to know, Potter." The innocent phrase was drawled softly, and coupled with that smirk had Harry's stomach doing flips and his blood rushing south. He carefully controlled his breathing, and kept his face blank, merely raising an eyebrow.

"I'll figure it out. I know you pretty well by now." He smiled softly, noticing the small flicker across Malfoy's face that showed his reaction to the words. Though Harry wasn't entirely sure what it meant, he knew that was a reaction. Taking it as a victory, he stood carefully when McGonagall approached and followed her out of the hall and up to the 5th floor, where he was greeted by the painting of Sir Cadogan. Groaning aloud (echoed by Ron and Hermione) as he challenged Nott to a duel, Harry was pleased when the knight was ignored by McGonagall and the password ("Elyan") gained them entry to their new common room.


	4. Chapter 4

The common room was a relatively small, but cosy room with a large fireplace and two separate groups of comfortable couches and chairs. The decorations were varied in colour, and obviously tried to combine the various house colours. The drapes on one side of the room were silver, while those on the other side were gold, the rug was yellow and the armchairs blue. McGonagall showed the girls their room off to one side, and pointed to the stairs on the left of the room.  
"Boys, your rooms are up there. I'll leave you to organise yourselves, but I would like you to mix your house groups up. I don't just want all the Gryffindors together. Please try to cooperate and become a unit here." She walked away, turning back as she reached the portrait hole.  
"Oh, and no alcohol, please. This is still a school." Draco heard Finnigan curse under his breath, and laughed a little to himself. The Irishman, along with Potter and Thomas looked at him strangely. Draco raised an eyebrow. "What? That was funny."

They looked at each other, before Finnigan laughed.  
"Finally, someone who appreciates my humour! I've been utterly wasted on this lot, I'm telling you."  
He smiled at Draco, then pulled Thomas towards the stairs.  
"C'mon Dean. Lets choose a room." Draco looked at Potter, who answered his obvious confusion with an easy, "Oh, they got together this summer. Kinda nice for them really."

Blaise snorted. "'Bout time. So. Who's rooming with who?" Longbottom jumped in with more confidence than Draco had ever seen on him before.  
"Well, McGonagall said we should try to mix up our old houses, so Ernie, how would you like to be my new roommate?" The Hufflepuff smiled. "Of course Neville. We can sort out..." The two boys headed off towards the dorms chattering away steadily, the Hufflepuff's rather pompous tone making Draco stifle his laughter. Blaise snorted again, and this time looked derisive.  
"There's no way I'm fucking about with that. Theo?"  
The two ex-Slytherins headed upstairs together. Draco raised his eyebrows at their backs. "That's a brilliant starting attitude" he muttered. Potter apparently heard this, and looked at him oddly.  
"Hey Malfoy. In the spirit of cooperation, be my roommate?"  
Draco froze. _Did I hear that right? Is he seriously asking..._

He looked up, searching Potter's face for any sign that this was sone kind of practical joke. He found none. Looking at Weasley, he saw only shock and confusion, so felt safe to take the chance. Looking back at Potter, he sighed. "Sure, if it makes you happy Potter."

He turned towards the stairs and heard Weasley mutter "Guess that leaves me and you Terry."  
When he reached an open door, Draco entered the room to find his things at the foot of one of the beds already. He raised his eyebrows, then heard some serious yowling from the other side of his trunk. Rolling his eyes, Draco went across and let Kit and Kat out of their carrier. Kat immediately stopped yowling and glared at him for a moment, then set off exploring. Kit just jumped onto the bed and promptly fell asleep on the pillow. Rolling his eyes again, Draco stood up and started looking around for the things to hide from Kat before...**CRASH**. _Too late_. With a loud sigh, Draco moved to see what Kat had broken, only to whirl around at a cough from the doorway. Potter stood in the frame wide-eyed, staring at Kit on the bed. "You have a cat?"

Draco sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot since the little monsters had arrived. "Yeah. Two, actually. And I think the other one just broke something. Already. Sorry about that." Potter just smiled. "I've always wanted a cat. What are they called?" Draco blushed.  
"Kit and Kat. Don't ask, I didn't name them. They were a welcome home gift from my mother."  
Potter just smiled again. "So which one's which?"

Draco retrieved Kat from the bathroom and carefully introduced the two kittens, then somehow managed to spend the rest of the evening telling Potter about his trip to America while they unpacked. By the time they were settling into bed, the butterflies had all but disappeared and Draco felt almost comfortable with Potter. Then the other boy turned to him and spoke softly.  
"Hey. Since we're going to be pretty much living together for the next year, do you think we could maybe try being friends?" The butterflies returned full force. Draco swallowed thickly before he spoke, trying to stop his voice from shaking.  
"Sure, I guess. Whatever makes you happy Potter." _Good. That was lightly sarcastic. He doesn't need to know that I meant that exactly how it sounded..._

Potter opened his mouth, closed it again, then looked up at Draco, meeting his eyes. Draco's breath caught as he met that shocking emerald gaze and the butterflies intensified.  
"Friends use each other's names. Maybe..." He trailed off. Draco took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to make sure his voice didn't waver.  
"Like I said. Whatever makes you happy... Harry." The name rolled of his tongue like sugar. It felt so right to say. _Damn. This is getting out of hand again. _Then Potter spoke again.

"Thanks. Goodnight...Draco." _He said my name. My real name. _It slid over Draco's skin like silk, making him shudder. _I need to make him say it as much as physically possible. Wow. _Before his thoughts could go too far down that road, Kat's claws pulled Draco back to the present. The two kittens curled up at his side, and Draco smiled, settling down and falling asleep almost immediately, exhausted by the long day.

The new common room seemed to be considerably smaller than usual, and mixed colours. In his attempts to ignore the smooth, sensual way that Malfoy moved, Harry had once again been neglecting to listen to McGonagall. He only realised she had walked away when she turned back at the portrait hole. "Oh, and no alcohol, please. This is still a school."  
Shay cursed under his breath. _Typical Irishman_, Harry thought with a smile. The smile gave way to shock when he heard a soft laugh that sent shudders through his body and his blood rushing south. Again. He, Dean and Shay looked at Malfoy in shock, as the blonde boy just raised an eyebrow at them. "What? That was funny."

Harry looked at Dean, who looked at Shay, not sure how to react. Seamus looked disoriented for a moment, before laughing. "Finally, someone who appreciates my humour! I've been utterly wasted on this lot, I'm telling you." He smiled at Malfoy (shocker in itself) before grabbing Dean's hand and pulling him towards the stairs.  
"C'mon Dean. Let's choose a room." The couple disappeared into the dorms, leaving the three Slytherins looking very confused. Harry's heart raced as Malfoy looked to him first, but kept his voice steady and relaxed when he responded. "Oh, they got together this summer. Kinda nice for them really."

The look of interest on Malfoy's face grabbed Harry's attention, and he tuned out for a few moments while his mind obsessed about what it meant. He came back to reality when Malfoy spoke.  
"Well that's a brilliant starting attitude."

Harry stared at the other boy, an idea forming. Before he could talk himself out of it, he spoke.  
"Hey Malfoy. In the spirit of cooperation, be my roommate?"  
The room seemed to freeze. Harry didn't dare breath, he wasn't sure how Malfoy was going to react, or how Ron would react either. He hadn't actually considered Ron's reaction before he said it, and he should have. Damn. This is going to go badly. Oh dear. He was going to think of a way to take it back, but found his mind going blank as Malfoy stared into his eyes. Wondering if he was going to find himself melted into a puddle on the floor when Malfoy looked away, Harry tried to figure out why he was feeling dizzy, before the other boy finally spoke. "Sure, if it makes you happy Potter."

Harry finally drew in a breath, and grinned to himself before he could stop it. Malfoy turned away and walked towards the stairs. Ron said something behind him, but Harry was already on his way out, and was no longer paying attention to anything other than Draco Malfoy. Unfortunately, he found himself getting hi-jacked on the stairs by Dean. Suddenly remembering the odd look he had gotten on the train, Harry focused on Dean for a moment, and raised his eyebrows in question. Dean immediately understood.  
"You reacted to Shay. I know myself how sexy that accent is, and I recognise that shudder. I wasn't sure if you knew you were doing it, but I thought it was a bit weird since as far as I'm aware, you don't swing that way. Something you want to tell me about Harry?" The question came with a wink, and Harry flushed. He looked at the floor, then back at Dean.  
"I'm not sure yet. I was going to ask you and Shay to help me figure it out, but then I found out you'd gotten together and it's not fair of me to ask you to share each other when things are this new. Don't worry about it. I'll figure it out." He smiled at Dean, who looked at bit shocked, but laughed.  
"The girls of Hogwarts are going to be gutted if you're gay. Good look!" He smiled at Harry, then disappeared back up the stairs towards his new room.

Harry turned back to the door Malfoy had gone through, only to jump back from it when an almighty **CRASH** came from the far side of the room. Harry moved into the doorway to see a small ball of grey fluff on one of the beds, and an apparently rather frustrated Malfoy standing with his back to the door. The blonde was perfectly framed against the red drapes around the bed, his shirt formed around his chest and his hair shining against the dark crimson background. Harry's breath caught in his throat, and he forced his gaze away from Malfoy, back to the bundle on the bed. He forced himself to breath, which made a sound like a cough just as the ball moved – revealing itself as a small grey kitten. Malfoy whirled around, and Harry quickly tossed around the thoughts in his head to find something to say that didn't make him sound crazy or stalkerish. "You have a cat?" _Great job Harry. Not crazy, but definitely thick. Well done._

Malfoy just sighed. "Yeah. Two, actually. And I think the other one just broke something. Already. Sorry about that." Harry found himself smiling. He'd always wanted a cat as a pet, but never really got the chance with the Dursleys. And then Hagrid had bought him Hedwig, and it just didn't seem smart to get a cat too. He spoke without thinking, and probably sounded really thick again.  
"I've always wanted a cat. What are they called?" Malfoy blushed – something so incredibly endearing that Harry found himself melting at the sight, and realised that he might actually be able to get along with this new version of Malfoy. "Kit and Kat. Don't ask, I didn't name them. They were a welcome home gift from my mother." Malfoy was obviously embarrassed, so Harry repressed the giggles, but couldn't quite control the smile.  
"So which one's which?"

Harry was introduced to the grey kitten he'd seen at first – Kit – and his black brother Kat, and decided the best way to spend this first evening was to learn as much about the new Malfoy as possible. He prompted the blonde with questions about his summer, and the rest of the time was passed learning about Malfoy's summer trip to America. When he settled into bed, Harry realised that he had grown quite comfortable with the other boy, and decided to see how far he could push this new relationship. "Hey. Since we're going to be pretty much living together for the next year, do you think we could maybe try being friends?" There was a long silence, and when Malfoy finally responded his voice was careful. "Sure, I guess. Whatever makes you happy Potter."

His tone was lightly sarcastic - still mocking, but slightly more friendly than usual. Harry opened his mouth, then closed it again while he tried to figure out if his next sentence was pushing it too much. His Gryffindor spirit pushed him forward just as he'd decided to leave it alone, resulting in:  
"Friends use each other's names. Maybe..."  
He trailed off, not sure if he should finish the sentence. There was a short silence and Harry heard Malfoy _(No,Draco now) _take a deep, slow breath. "Like I said. Whatever makes you happy... Harry."

Harry stopped breathing. That aristocratic drawl somehow managed to make his name sound erotic and touchable, and Harry shuddered. "Thanks. Goodnight...Draco."  
He kept his tone low, careful not to let his voice betray his thoughts. He decided that was the place to stop, and rolled onto his side, letting his imagination focus on the way Draco said his name, and how incredibly right the other boy's name felt on his lips. Feeling like a complete girl, Harry pushed those thoughts away, and tried to force his mind to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Draco woke late to find Potter already gone. He dressed hurriedly and grabbed his bag on the way out the door. When he reached the great hall, he slid into a seat beside Blaise and Theo, and looked up to glare at Potter..Harry..who was again sitting across from him. "Why didn't you wake me!" Harry just smiled gently. "You looked like you could use it."

Draco glared for a moment longer, before deciding he was too tired, so he just huffed and helped himself to breakfast. Granger handed him his timetable, and Draco said "Thanks" without really thinking. He only registered what he'd said when he was met with a shocked silence. He looked up, feeling a tad uncomfortable, until an obviously shocked Granger responded with; "You're welcome. It looks like the 12 of us are staying together for the most part. We've all got Charms, Transfiguration and Potions together, Harry, Ron, Zambini and Ernie have Care together, Terry you're with me in Muggle Studies, Malfoy you have Arithmancy with me and Nott, and Ernie and Neville have Herbology together. Doesn't look like anyone is alone in any of their lessons."

The organised tone left Draco, Blaise and Theo feeling kind of shell-shocked, while the rest seemed to just take it in stride. Harry saw the looks on their faces and laughed softly. He leaned across the table and touched Draco's arm. "Don't worry. You get used to her. She'll calm down a bit soon, it's just 'cause it's the first day of term." Blaise and Theo visibly relaxed, while Draco remained frozen – this time for a very different reason.  
_He touched me...he actually touched me. Voluntarily. Oh Merlin. He's so gorgeous... _An elbow from Blaise shocked Draco back to reality. "Back to earth lover boy. Curb the obsession Draco, seriously. You're seeing him almost all the time now, he's going to notice if you carry on like this." Blaise muttered under his breath. Draco took a deep breath and sat back from the table, putting conscious effort into not looking at Harry and keeping his hands from shaking. After a few minutes, he managed to control the butterflies, in just enough time to head to his first lesson of the day.

Unfortunately, before he could leave the table Harry stopped everyone. "I think, in the spirit of this cooperation thing, we should try using everyone's first names. Draco and I discussed this last night, and I think it'll help us all feel more comfortable and friendly towards each other. Okay?"  
This seemed aimed mostly at the Slytherins, and Draco just nodded calmly. After a quick exchange of looks, Blaise and Theo agreed. The group introduced themselves, and Draco finally escaped the table.

After an exhausting first day back, in which Draco managed to confuse the Gryffindors by easily slipping into the use of everyone's first names (though he still refused to use Shay, 'Mione came fairly easily to him) the small group collapsed into their common room in a large heap of teenage limbs. With the apparent exception of Hermione, who spoke from behind Draco's head to the group at large. "Right. I think we should get a start on homework. Draco, Theo, we got homework already from Professor Vector so I think we should get started on that."  
Draco groaned. "'Mione, there's no way I'm moving from this exact spot for the next hour. And that homework isn't due for another week. Are you always this obsessive?" The five Gryffindor boys interrupted her defensive response with a low groan of "Yes". Hermione huffed, then joined them by the fire.

By this point, the Golden Trio had introduced the rest of their classmates to the guard of their new common room – Sir Cadogan. The knight seemed utterly mental – a theory confirmed by Weasel...er..Ron, and had already decided to give them a new password every day. Draco and Blaise gave him a hard, fierce Slytherin glare at this suggestion, which led to its quick withdrawal and the compromise of a new password every month.

When Draco retired to his room to feed Kit and Kat, he was followed by Harry, who somehow managed, by the time Draco had sorted out food, to have gained a friendship with Kit, who was happily curled up on his lap. Even Kat was cautiously sniffing at his fingers without biting them, something which surprised Draco since he usually wouldn't let anyone near him. Lying on his bed, Draco watched Harry play with the kittens, feeling the butterflies return at Harry's relaxed, happy laughter.

When Harry woke the next morning, he lay still for a moment, relishing the feeling of being back at Hogwarts. Glancing at the clock, he made sure he had plenty of time before breakfast, then lay back to carefully consider the new situation he found himself in – and his new roommate. _Or roommates_, he realised, if he considered Kit and Kat (and the dynamic duo gave him little choice, since they apparently liked to break things). Shifting a little, Harry froze when his foot connected with something solid and warm. He leant up carefully, not moving his lower body, then relaxed when he saw the curled grey form of Kit at his feet.

Glancing at the clock again, he realised he'd spent more time thinking than he realised, and threw himself out of bed and towards the bathroom. Kit voiced his displeasure at being unceremoniously dumped on the floor with the movement, but quickly joined his brother at the foot of Draco's bed instead, falling back asleep with little problem. Harry paused to look at the other boy for a moment, wondering if he always looked this angelic when he was relaxed, rather than smirking and scheming. _Or maybe its just me, and my newfound inner girl_, he thought in disgust. Shaking his head at himself, Harry went for his shower in the ensuite, then dressed quickly.

He considered waking Draco, but decided that there was plenty of time before classes, and the blonde looked so sweet he just couldn't bring himself to disturb him. He didn't notice the absence of the kittens until his bag was significantly heavier than it should have been... Huffing quietly, he lifted the little bundles out and placed them on his bed, giving them his best stern look. "Trust me, you don't want to come with me today. It's not your idea of fun. Stay here with Draco, and make sure he gets up in time okay?"

Still debating whether the kittens actually understood him, Harry paused at the door for a last look at the sleeping blonde, before heading down to meet Ron and Hermione in the common room. He ended up meeting Seamus on the stairs instead, who had apparently learned of his newfound confusion from Dean, so Harry quickly found himself the butt of an extended series of jokes anyway.

The group of Gryffindors (plus Ernie and Emily) made their way down to breakfast together, and upon gaining their timetables, the Lion boys let out a group groan. "Great, outside for Care first thing, that's going to be fun. Here's hoping Hagrid's feeling tame this year..." Ron's tentative statement was met with snorts from Shay and Dean.  
"Is Hagrid ever feeling tame? At least we haven't got potions today. I can't deal with the dungeons on the first day back." Harry's voice got softer with his last sentence, and Ron and Hermione gave him understanding smiles. He had come to terms with Snape's revelations after the summer, and was still trying to figure out how to grieve for the man without totally messing his head up. The dungeons were always Snape's place in Harry's mind, and he was struggling with the prospect of being down there, knowing that the man would never return to the classroom.

His mini pity-party was interrupted by the arrival of the Slytherins, minus Draco. Blaise and Theo placed themselves opposite the trio, and Harry tilted his head, giving them a curious look. "Didn't you meet Draco?" The two Slytherins raised their eyebrows at the name, but didn't comment. "We assumed he'd come down with you. He'll turn up, no worries." Their apparent lack of concern for their friend confused Harry, but he left it alone. Around 10 minutes later, Draco arrived in the hall hurriedly, looking much less groomed than usual, sliding into a seat directly across from Harry. He looked up, giving him a soft glare.

"Why didn't you wake me!" He looked more disgruntled than angry, and Harry smiled at the expression. _He's adorable_. Then he realised he needed to respond. Thinking quickly, he gave the first answer that sounded half-way normal. "You looked like you could use it."  
Harry waited, hoping this would be accepted. Draco glared for another moment, before evidently deciding he couldn't be bothered, and helping himself to breakfast with a huff. Hermione handed his timetable across tentatively, and Draco took it without looking up, a soft "Thanks." echoing across the table.

A shocked silence followed, in which Draco seemed to realise what he'd said, a looked a bit uncomfortable. Hermione jumped into the silence with her usual 'First day back' enthusiasm, organising everyone in her way. Harry tuned her out, focusing on his bacon, then laughed a little at the shell-shocked expressions on the faces of the three Slytherins. He leaned across the table and patted Draco's arm gently, forcing himself to ignore the furious butterflies at the touch and speak normally. "Don't worry. You get used to her. She'll calm down a bit soon, it's just 'cause it's the first day of term."

Blaise and Theo visibly relaxed, but Draco stayed tense, staring at his hand. Harry removed it slowly, wondering if the contact had been too much for the new friendship. Blaise leaned in to Draco and muttered something under his breath, at which the blonde seemed to start, and sat back carefully avoiding Harry's gaze. As the other boy stood up, Harry realised that while he and Draco had made their peace (sort of) the others were still using surnames. Remembering (some) of McGonagall's welcome speech, he stood up, stopping the group. "I think, in the spirit of this cooperation thing, we should try using everyone's first names. Draco and I discussed this last night, and I think it'll help us all feel more comfortable and friendly towards each other. Okay?" He looked mostly at the three Slytherins, but most of the others looked a bit unsure. Slowly, everyone agreed and introduced themselves, and they all headed off to their various lessons.

By the time they finished dinner and headed back to their new common room, the whole group seemed exhausted. Everyone but Hermione collapsed in front of the fire, and Harry mused over the suprise everyone had gotten from Draco, who had comfortably settled into using everyone's first names. He seemed to have grown up a lot over the course of the summer, and had even been heard using 'Mione's nickname (though he wouldn't use Shay). Hermione seemed pleased, and immediately launched onto homework. Harry heard Draco groan. "'Mione, there's no way I'm moving from this exact spot for the next hour. And that homework isn't due for another week. Are you always this obsessive?" A low chorus of "Yes" from the Gryffindors interrupted her defense, and she huffed before joining the group at the fireside.

Harry and Ron had decided earlier on the benefits of having Slytherins around, when their fierce glares managed to dissuade Sir Cadogan from giving them a new password every day. Ron had confirmed for the rest of the group that the small knight was, in fact, utterly mental, and the only one who didn't seem annoyed to have him as their new portrait was Shay, who apparently found him hilarious.

Harry found himself dozing a little, but woke up when he realised Draco was leaving, heading up to their room. He followed, pointedly ignoring the raised eyebrows from Ron, Seamus and Dean, and found him organising food for the kittens. As he did so, Harry set to making friends with the little monsters. It wasn't difficult, since Kit had already decided that he liked Harry, and Kat was tentatively sniffing at his fingers by the time Draco turned around. He found himself relaxing, and laughing at the kittens' antics, almost forgetting Draco's presence, as he lay across his bed with the two bundles of mischief clambering around him.

**A/N the M rating starts next chapter, but only a teeny bit. Smut will ensue. At some point later. Not sure how many chapters yet, cause idk what point I'm going to end it at. These first chapters were all done before I posted, so the next one might be a few days away. Maybe. Might go up later tonight. Depends what's on tv **


	6. Chapter 6

_It's dark. Why is it dark? _Draco quickly realised that he'd fallen asleep, and glanced at the clock on the wall to find that it was around 1am. Looking across at Harry's bed, he saw the other boy asleep with Kit still curled on his lap. Looking around the room, Draco found Kat curled at his own feet, and relaxed, picking up the kitten and cuddling him close. Kat mewled quietly, then purred, and settled back to sleep. At a soft laugh, Draco started and looked back at Harry, who was awake and watching him. Draco flushed before he could stop it, and looked down at Kat instead.  
"Your eyes soften when you look at them. It's really quite endearing you know." Harry's quiet voice floated across the room, and Draco felt it brush his skin gently. He looked up, and frowned.  
"That's a very posh way of saying I'm cute, Potter."  
Harry frowned. "What did we decide about names."  
Draco rolled his eyes. "Sorry, Harry. My point?"  
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Your point being...that I called you cute? I'm aware. You are."  
He smiled at Draco, absently stroking Kit. The butterflies returned at Harry's smile, which was no longer soft and sweet. It had morphed into a focused, almost predatory smile that had Draco's heart beat speeding up and his blood flow being diverted. He shifted a little, not taking his eyes from Harry's, as the other boy stood and moved across the room towards him. The emerald eyes glinted in the moonlight, darkening as Draco's lips parted slightly as he drew nearer. When their bodies were almost touching, Harry stopped, staring at him for a long moment. Draco didn't dare breathe, waiting, hoping... but Harry turned and went back to his bed, climbing under the covers and not looking at Draco again. Draco sighed, laying back down and trying to sleep. Unsuccessfully. His thoughts kept turning back to Harry and that look and what it meant and...his cock just wouldn't calm down. His head was full of images of what could have happened in that moment, and without his permission, Draco's hands started to slide down his body. As the hands slipped under his pyjamas, Draco drew in a sharp breath, before controlling his body so as not to alert Harry. He grabbed his wand and cast a quick silencing charm, before focusing on the imagined scenario.

_Harry's lips pressed down on his, soft, then harder, his tongue running across his bottom lip. Draco granted the access eagerly, his hands threading through Harry's hair, pulling him closer. Harry's lips slid down his neck as his hands slid up Draco's thighs, grasping his hips firmly as he bit down on Draco's neck, sucking at the spot and marking him clearly._  
Draco moaned aloud. He'd never been into that before but the image of Harry Potter marking him was so incredible that Draco wanted it. He wanted to be marked, wanted to belong to Harry. A novel feeling, but one he rather liked.  
_Harry pushed him back onto the bed, coming down on top of him and pressing his hips into Draco's. Harry's hard erection met his through their clothes and the pressure felt so good...Draco pressed his lips into Harry's neck, moaning quietly as Harry started to move his hips against Draco's. The friction was incredible, making Draco buck up against the other boy, as they moved together, faster and faster until Harry gasped his name, biting down on Draco's neck and shuddering against him.  
_Draco bucked into his fist, moving faster until he exploded with a low hiss of "Fuck, Harry!" He lay gasping for a few moments, before he got his breathing back to normal. Draco sat up and grabbed his wand, cleaning himself up and removing the silencing charm after glancing across to make sure Harry was still asleep. As he lay back down, he caught Kat watching him. With a disapproving twitch of his whiskers, the kitten turned his back and went back to sleep. Draco muffled his laughter as he settled back into sleep, his dreams filled with Harry Potter.

Harry woke in darkness, sensing movement. Since the war, his peripheral senses a warriors, and he had always been a light sleeper. He turned his head to see Draco smiling rather goofily at Kat, who was curled at his side. Before he could stop himself, Harry laughed softly at the incredibly endearing expression. Draco looked up sharply, and flushed, looking back down at the kitten. Once again, Harry spoke without thinking. "Your eyes soften when you look at them. It's really quite endearing you know." The moment the words left his mouth, he cursed himself silently. Then felt rather proud of himself for finally saying something to the other boy that didn't sound thick.

Draco looked up at him and frowned, pouting slightly. Harry repressed the smile, knowing Draco probably didn't realise he was pouting and forcing himself to focus on the words, not how adorable the blonde was. "That's a very posh way of saying I'm cute, Potter." Harry huffed to himself with a frown. _Potter again. Of course I am. _"What did we decide about names." Draco rolled his eyes, and Harry smiled to himself as the new relationship started to feel more normal. "Sorry, Harry. My point?" Harry raised his eyebrows at the focus, and decided to be completely honest and forcibly ignored the swooping in his stomach. _What the hell. Its late._

"Your point being...that I called you cute? I'm aware. You are." He smiled a little, watching carefully for Draco's reaction. The other boy's neck started to flush, which had Harry's mind flying off to wonder exactly how far that flush went, and if he could follow it with his tongue...he help Draco's gaze as he stood and moved across the room, feeling as though he was being drawn by a spell. He stopped directly infront of the other, almost touching, and stared at him for a long moment. Then he realised where he was, what he was doing, and lost the last vestiges of his Gryffindor nerve.

He turned, walked back to his bed (forcing himself not to move faster than normal), climbed under the covers and forced himself not to look back at Draco. He was sure that his intentions had been clear on his face, and wasn't at all intending to find out what Draco had thought about it. Nothing was heard from the other side of the room, and Harry fell asleep with Kit curled into his side, wondering what would have happened if he hadn't stopped, and determinedly ignored his cock for the half hour it took for his mind to shut down.

**A/N well. Took less time than I expected it to, so you might get the next chapter before the sun comes up tomorrow I think next chapter, I'll have everyone else meet Kit and Kat, what does everyone think? Since I currently have no idea where this is going, any ideas you have are received graciously, along with any other pairings you want to suggest? I'm planning to work some Neville/Luna in somewhere, but could be persuaded otherwise if anyone has any better ideas?**


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